Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle; 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French military general and statesman. He was the leader of Free Franceand the head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic. In 1958, he founded the Fifth Republic and was elected as the 18th President of France, a position he held until his resignation in 1969. He was the dominant figure of France during the Cold War era and his memory continues to influence...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth22 November 1890
CityLille, France
CountryFrance
Nothing more enhances authority than silence. It is the crowning virtue of the strong, the refuge of the weak, the modesty of the proud, the pride of the humble, the prudence of the wise, and the sense of fools. To speak is to . . . dissipate one's strength; whereas what action demands is concentration. Silence is a necessary preliminary to the ordering of one's thoughts.
Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.
When I am right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when he is wrong. We are angry at each other much of the time.
France has no friends, only interests.
Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé. [Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.]
No, I'm not talking about the Russians; I mean the Germans. In spite of everything, to have pushed so far!
The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.
The graveyards are full of indispensable men.
The future does not belong to men...
Always choose the hardest way, on it you will not find opponents
France cannot be France without greatness.
War stirs in men's hearts the mud of their worst instincts. It puts a premium on violence, nourishes hatred, and gives free rein to cupidity. It crushes the weak, exalts the unworthy, and bolsters tyranny .. .Time and time again it has destroyed all ordered living, devastated hope, and put the prophets to death.
We may go to the moon, but that' s not very far. The greatest distance we have to cover still lies within us.
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.